A DL Newswire release states the first aircraft to land on ATL's new runway 10-28 will be a Delta 777 cleverly given the flight number....1028. Not sure what the departure airport would be yet. Should be some good info for those out there that may be wanting to post the first pic on a.net of an aircraft landing there.

While in Orlando this week meeting with more than 5,000 travel and tourism professionals, Jerry Grinstein, CEO, was asked about the industry and how airlines were doing.

"More specifically, the question was whether rising air fares and shrinking capacity are providing a cure for our ailing industry. Unfortunately, continued high fuel prices mean the short answer to that question is 'no,' " said Grinstein in his weekly employee update.

"Recent fare increases are needed and welcomed, but they fall far short of neutralizing rising fuel's impact on our bottom line. As a result, our industry remains vulnerable and the steps Delta is taking to reduce costs and increase revenue remain more important than ever," he said.

Next week Delta is participating in the opening of the fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

"This 9,000 foot feat of engineering includes the world's longest runway bridge, spanning 10 lanes of interstate traffic. Some of those trucks are going be going faster than our planes," he said. "On behalf of everyone at Delta, I'm proud to say the first aircraft to touch down as part of the May 16 inaugural will be a Delta 777 – Delta flight 1028 arriving on Atlanta runway 10-28. I wanted you to appreciate how clever everyone is here!"

Grinstein said peak arrivals at Hartsfield-Jackson are expected to grow from 100 planes an hour to 135. The additional capacity is a benefit to Delta and our customers by improving on-time performance and expanding our international network.

Grinstein also mentioned our international expansion. "You also have probably seen a number of billboards and advertisements featuring our International destinations," he said. "I'd love to get your reactions to those; we are pushing them hard and they're having a remarkable impact."

OttoPylit

I don't have a microwave, but I do have a clock that occasionally cooks shit.

ATL city as well as federal officials. An hour or so for a tour of the city of Atlanta is never money wasted when the top government officials in your industry and city are onboard. DL's getting almost as polished politically as AA.

Quoting Aileron11 (Reply 6):I would like to see some pictures of the runway if it really spans 10 lanes of interstate. Can you imagine all the distracted drivers.

Well, the a.net database is full of airport overviews of ATL .

Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 7):I can't wait til the 1st summer thunderstorm to see how the new runway changes the airports ability to recover. And 3 lines of arriving or departing flights will be just beautiful!

Indeed, the runway will definitely help ease up things at ATL. And I can only agree, the site of 3 lines of 5-10 planes hanging in the air waiting for landing will be amazing, especially at night.

Quoting Aileron11 (Reply 6):I would like to see some pictures of the runway if it really spans 10 lanes of interstate. Can you imagine all the distracted drivers.

It's very distracting. It is pretty much a tunnel, I mean, that's what it feels like when you drive under it. My passengers (in the car) never even know what we are going under on the way to the airport, but everyone will know soon.

ATL along with DFW, ORD and DEN are the 4 best airports in the lower 48 of the USA to operate a major hub out of geographically speaking when O&D are related to site and situation in the entire country. ATL being situated between Florida and the rest of the heavily populated eastern seaboard as well as the Caribbean make it a clear choice to operate such a mega hub from. The growth in Florida and the SE USA on the whole clearly have dictated that ATL supersede ORD in passenger traffic by the late 1990s as was the case. Question is with growth in this region expected further, where will ATL locate a 6th runway? Do they go north, or do they find a way to double-up 10-28 with another 9,000'+ ribbon?

DELTA Air Lines; The Only Way To Fly from Salt Lake City; Let the Western Heritage always be with Delta!

The city of Atlanta agreed not to pursue a 6th runway for at least a significant period of time... not sure how long... in return for the communities surrounding the airport releasing objectives to the 5th runway. At one time, there was talk of putting a 6th runway north of DL's headquarters but that would displace a huge amount of current development. When you consider that the 5th runway cost over 1 billion dollars, there is diminishing value for each successive mile of concrete since the only real value comes come triple simultaneous operations. A runway that would permit triple operations like the 5th would have to be entirely south of I-285 to keep from having one end or the other on the interstate (I 285 is the interstate that the 5th crosses) which could make taxi times prohibitively long.

Given that ATL has become the world's busiest airport w/ just 4 runways, there should be significant capacity added w/ the 5th that allows ATL to get about as big as a hub airport can be. DL and its partners have around 1000 flights/day while FL has another 200 plus all of the non-hub passenger carriers and the freight carriers.

I don't think you'll see ATL ever grow to the size where 6 runways are necessary. By the time it could happen, technology could be available that automates enough of the flight process to increase capacity with the existing runways.

Also, remember that ATL is one of the largest cities in the US that has only 1 commercial airport serving the city. The economics of converting one of the other airports in the area to commercial service are far more favorable than further runway expansion at Hartsfield.

Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 15):Given that ATL has become the world's busiest airport w/ just 4 runways, there should be significant capacity added w/ the 5th that allows ATL to get about as big as a hub airport can be. DL and its partners have around 1000 flights/day while FL has another 200 plus all of the non-hub passenger carriers and the freight carriers.

I don't think you'll see ATL ever grow to the size where 6 runways are necessary. By the time it could happen, technology could be available that automates enough of the flight process to increase capacity with the existing runways.

As I recall the Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) master-plan calls for extending one of the 4 existing runways to over 13,300.' Runway 27R-9L has been designated for this extension in order to accommodate even an A380 (although the airport has indicated no plans to accept that a/c as of yet) on a hot and humid summer Georgia day. Have they started on this implementation of the master plan as of yet at ATL? If so, what will also need to be displaced?
http://www.atlmasterplan.com/recommended_plan.htm

DELTA Air Lines; The Only Way To Fly from Salt Lake City; Let the Western Heritage always be with Delta!

Word I keep hearing from DL pilots is that one of the other 4 actives will shut down this summer for "work" of some sort--they (DL pilots) are not anticipating any increased capacity at ATL for quite some time.

10/28 is going to be one hell of a taxi away from the terminal. Traffic on the 27's will have to hold for 10/28 traffic to cross, only to have another mile or two to go before departure. While I'm sure it's very well thought out and will increase capacity, I also believe it will have little impact on on-time statistics.

I'm also curious why the "kink" is in the taxiway. Was there no way to build it straight?

- I do not believe a sixth runway is in the plan but if they do, it will parallel the other five.

Quoting Retaf98 (Reply 17):Word I keep hearing from DL pilots is that one of the other 4 actives will shut down this summer for "work" of some sort--they (DL pilots) are not anticipating any increased capacity at ATL for quite some time.

- I have heard that also, believe it is one of the current runways north of the terminals. I think I heard that here on A.Net.

David

Flying is the second greatest thrill known to mankind, landing is the first!

I think DL should have used a 764 or a 763 instead of the 777, an a/c which really is a symbol of DL, heck they should have kept the Spirit of Delta around just for this flight.
The 777 is the top a/c in most airlines fleets, not to DL, in my opinion, because they chose not to buy more, I'm not questioning their reasons, just that the precious few that they have is deliberate, not because the a/c is so "precious"

All in all it should be good for DL and the ATL airport, so far it does not mirror ORD in system crisis when the weather spikes, but some days it sure does come close.

Quoting Par13del (Reply 20):so far it does not mirror ORD in system crisis when the weather spikes,

- It will be interesting to see how ORD's flights will be when they reconfigure the airfield and have all parallel runways. I talked with an AA pilot friend of mine tonight and word is Chicago is going to make all the runways parallel east and west.

David

Flying is the second greatest thrill known to mankind, landing is the first!

It'll be nice to see a pic of DL aircraft landing on the 10-28 runway.

However, IMO, the runway should be used for small aircraft (Boeing 737-900/Airbus A321 and lower) as 9000 feet is pretty short fx. a 747 to land on. Though the most-used runway at my airport is only 3937.1 feet, 9000 feet sounds little for a big airport.

Funny when someone's driving in the tunnel, and an aircraft lands exactly over you...

Quoting Aero145 (Reply 23):It'll be nice to see a pic of DL aircraft landing on the 10-28 runway.

However, IMO, the runway should be used for small aircraft (Boeing 737-900/Airbus A321 and lower) as 9000 feet is pretty short fx. a 747 to land on. Though the most-used runway at my airport is only 3937.1 feet, 9000 feet sounds little for a big airport.

Funny when someones driving in the tunnel, and an aircraft lands exactly over you...

This runway was originally only going to be 6,000' to handle CRJ traffic, but the city department of airports argued for an all accommodating length of 9,000.' This will prove to be a smart move in the long runway (No pun intended!)
Actually at 9,000 feet this runway can accommodate any a/c (including the A380 & B748) for landings. Take-offs is why I pointed out above that 27R-9L is to be extended to over 13,300' to accommodate all extended and long range wide-body heavies (especially 767-300ER & 767-400ER as well as 777-200ER&LR and 777-300s & all eventual 787s that DL is likely to add to its fleet) for a departure to some point half a world away such as J-berg in South Africa or Beijing in China.

DELTA Air Lines; The Only Way To Fly from Salt Lake City; Let the Western Heritage always be with Delta!

Will this new runway be used primarily for take-offs or arrivals?(9L/27R is used for takeoffs, 9R/27L is used for landing, 8R/26L is used for takeoffs and 8L/26R is used for landings) I would think arrivals would make the best sense.

Quoting Evan767 (Reply 25):Will this new runway be used primarily for take-offs or arrivals?(9L/27R is used for takeoffs, 9R/27L is used for landing, 8R/26L is used for takeoffs and 8L/26R is used for landings) I would think arrivals would make the best sense.

Mostly as an overflow runway for landings and some departures (mostly DL/Connect CRJ flights), would make the most ATC airfield management sense.

DELTA Air Lines; The Only Way To Fly from Salt Lake City; Let the Western Heritage always be with Delta!

It's rather long, but DL is using a B767-300ER for the maiden flight...good call on your part! Wonder why they changed the a/c type after saying in a Delta Newswire that a B777 would be used? The B767-300ER is definitely more appropriate, and glad they made the switch.

Quoting AAflyguy (Reply 27):Wonder why they changed the a/c type after saying in a Delta Newswire that a B777 would be used? The B767-300ER is definitely more appropriate, and glad they made the switch.

The 777 got stuck in LGW yesterday on a mtc.

It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.

Using the "Spirit of Delta" aircraft would have been just about the best..and to think that it so recently was towed over to the Delta Heritage Museum, literally a few days ago. Wonder if there was any thought to use it for this final occasion? Oh well, too late now. Then again, it was a B762, with barely 200 seats, so perhaps it didn't have the capacity to accommodate everyone that DL & ATL wanted onboard.

I like the taxiway bridges @ DFW, because there is constant air traffic passing over them.

The ATL runway and taxiway are pretty amazing to see when driving along I-285. The tunnels are massive, with the big fan blades rotating, and the lighting. The tunnel boxes (each section) are quite large both in height and width. The height is most impressive when approaching from the west, because that's where the elevation is lowest. And each of the two-part system is four sections wide, to accommodate future lane expansion of the interstate. I believe that would equal between 20-24 lanes in total, when fully built out.

I doubt most of those motorists who are unfamiliar with Hartsfield and its airfield layout will even realize they are about to pass directly under a runway and taxiway, primarily because the location of the tunnel system is just about at the runway midpoint. Additionally, there is so much additional pavement/bridging flanking either side of the runway, it will be hard to see planes when drivers are closing in on the tunnel itself, because of the height, angle and distance from the edge of the tunnel to the edge of the runway. The taxiway activity, though, should be almost in your face, because there's less extra coverage on the sides. Once air traffic starts using the runway with regularity, it may be very apparent to passersby on I-285. Maybe some of our fellow A.net members in ATL can post their thoughts after experiencing it for themselves!

Seriously? Whoa, talk about foiling a plan! Well, it was meant to happen, I guess. And it's still fitting, since the B767-300ER is the workhorse of the International fleet, as we all know. I'd love to see the DeltaDigest coverage on this event in the next issue.

Found this, here you guys go (read below for the disasterous first day at the new ATL tower):

The biggest problem confronting controllers is that the fifth runway is 50 feet too close to another runway that also is primarily used for landings. But in bad weather, that older runway will have to be switched to handling takeoffs so the airport can use the new runway and a more distant one for landings.

Early next year, that problem will be solved when new radar is installed on the fifth runway. That will allow — even in bad weather — the fifth runway and the one next to it to handle landings. A total of three runways will be used for landings and two for takeoffs.

"That's going to allow us to land about the same number of airplanes in poor weather conditions that we now land in good weather — and that should cut delays substantially," said Russ Gausman, a Federal Aviation Administration support manager for the Atlanta tower.

Until June 8, however, the fifth runway will only be used for landings in good weather, when pilots can clearly see it. After that, new aeronautical charts will show pilots around the world the information they need to make instrument approaches to the new runway in bad weather.

Once planes touch down on the fifth runway — the farthest one from the terminal — they will have to taxi 15 minutes or more and cross two active runways to get to the gate. At times, controllers will have to divert planes to improvised waiting areas until the path to the terminal is clear.

In an effort to reduce taxi times, controllers plan to tell some arriving pilots to "land and hold short." That sometimes-controversial practice allows ground-bound airplanes at Hartsfield-Jackson to taxi across the end of a runway while another plane lands and comes to a quick stop at least 400 feet short of the runway's end.

Also, in regards to ATL's new tower that opened at the FAA's instance on on May 6th (stupid managers):

On May 6, 2006, the FAA commissioned the world's tallest air traffic control tower at the world's busiest passenger airport. The agency committed a world-class blunder in opening this facility prematurely, and the FAA put the safety of the traveling public at risk in the process. Letâ€™s examine the issue.
The opening was designed to be a media event, but for air traffic controllers working the facility, it turned out to be an event, all right---a three ring circus.
For starters, the structure is 398 feet tall. When the day shift arrived, they discovered the elevator out of service. Unfortunately, their security cards did not work to access the stairwell either, so they had to wait nearly an hour for someone with an appropriate swipe card to arrive and let them into the stairwell so they could begin the 602-step climb to the top. The skeleton midnight shift worked into the morning waiting for relief. Once the elevator was repaired it was able to function, but only with a technician riding on top of the elevator, pushing two buttons for manual override of the automatic system.
When the day shift finally crested the steps in the worlds newest air traffic control facility, they saw a gleaming tower full of shiny, modern equipment that didn't work. The list of equipment logged out by the FAA for some or all of the first day includes:

TDLS (the digital ATIS)---out of service
EFSTS (the electronic flight strip system)---out of service
ACE/IDS/RVR interface ots
Elevator---out of service
All Ramp tower lines---out of service
API line---out of service
FDIO---out of service
PDC---out of service
Final monitor over ride---malfunctioning
119.3 (Local Control frequency)---out of service
118.7 Main---out of service
IDS---will not populate updates to other IDS Positions
ITWS (Integrated Terminal Weather System)---out of service
121.75 (Ground Control)---out of service
ICMS Aural Alarm---out of service
LLWAS (Low Level Wind Shear Alert System)---out of service
ARMT (Airport Resource Management Tool)---out of service
121.9 main (Ground Control)---out of service
Numerous nuisance alarms throughout the day

Remember now, we aren't talking about Dodge City, Kansas here. We are talking about working live traffic at the world's busiest airport. Without frequencies. Without weather equipment. Without wind shear warnings. Without flight data.
To top that off, there is a loud noise in the background as if a large ventilation fan is running. When asked, management's response was, What noise? Facility management did seek out the source of the droning noise in the background, and reported back that it was the ASDE-X on the roof. If this is the case, this is going to be a major problem. Controllers working in the new facility report the noise to be so loud it is distracting.
Just days before opening the controllers got quick briefings on some of the new equipment and how it works. How to turn on and off localizers, glide slopes and the like. Once in the new facility, personnel discovered that not all employees had been assigned lockers. There are no computers to access the Employee Express system that management requires the employees to use. There have been no life-fire briefings or escape plans discussed or drilled. The break room tables and floor were littered with the morning's celebratory pizza boxes well into the evening, since no one bothered to set up trash cans.
From the new tower you can see clearly into the old tower, where the ATIS, FDIO and LLWAS are all lit up and working. The agency was determined to open the new Atlanta Tower on May 6th, and their obstinance reduced safety while increasing delays. The opening of the new Atlanta Tower was a perfect example of what happens when you put the wrong number of people in the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. I have no doubt we will soon be hearing about all the awards given out for a job well done.

At the new Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC, a new tower is growing tall out of the prairie, and it is already the subject of much discussion. Rumor has it that many of the newly installed consoles face the wrong direction. Additionally, the FAA apparently wanted to host a press open house not that long ago so the contractor put up some drywall for interior camera shots. The trouble? Apparently they didn't put in the roof or the ceiling, and of course it has since rained. This has created a mold problem in the building before it's first day of occupancy.

Nice, indeed..or not..some of these are things that probably are associated with projects of this magnitude all the time, yet are not reported by the media, because they're kept quiet. Seems they've opened Pandora's Box on this one by making a big media splash prematurely. Time to work out the kinks, and it appears there are a number of them requiring expeditious attention.

The first flights occured this morning. Delta 9995 with a 767-300 and AirTran 1028 with a 737-700 (with winglets and Iwo Jima nose art). Flight Attendants from Delta, AirTran, Air Canada, Air Jamaica, United, KLM, Frontier, and Korean welcomed guests as they exited shuttle busses on the ramp. The Delta folks looked great in their new uniforms. The AirTran flight flew low over Downtown, Buckhead, Midtown, and The Atlanta Raceway for some incredible views. Of coarse, there were speeches by Mayor Franklin, Ben Dacosta, and others. The runway will be up to full speed in a couple months. One older runway is scheduled for resurfacing from September through November.

I work for Southwest, but the views expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Southwest.